Customer Reviews

Live at Columbia Studios Hollywood 9/30/71

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Poco's original lineup produced two superb and groundbreaking studio Lp's. Born out of the wreckage of Buffalo Springfield, Richie Furay and Jim Mesina blazed a new trail which came to be known as "country rock". Yes the Byrds were the true pioneers of this new genre, with their criticly acclaimed "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" Lp. Bob Dylan followed with "Nashville Skyline". Soon former Byrd members Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons formed The Flying Burito Brothers and the new sound was in full swing. But Poco took a slightly different approach. Their music was more mainstream country. Songs like "You Better Think Twice" and "Honky Tonk Downstairs" were straight ahead Buck Owens/Bakersfield Sound. Rusty Young's pedel steel licks were so sweet and so hot, that you just could't keep your feet from breaking out into a little toe tapping hoe down.

But soon after the release of their third album Delivein' (recorded live at the Boston Music Hall and NYC's Felt Forum) Jim Messina left the group to produce and record with Kenny Loggins. As his replacement Paul Cotton, formally of the Illinois Speed Press took over on guitar and vocals and the group continued on without missing a beat. This new release of their 1971 Columbia Studios live recording was made shortly after Cotton and new member Timothy Schmidt joined the group. Most of the material (9 of the 16 tracks) were songs recorded by the new lineup from what was then, their recent release "From The Inside". That album contained some of their finest songwriting to date. This live recording captures the raw energy of these new songs almost impecably. Standouts include, "Railroad Days", "C'mon", "Ol' Forgiver", "Just For You & Me", "What A Day" and Richie Furay's beautiful ballard, "What If I Should Say I Love You".

Yes for Poco fans like me, who have waited almost forty years for a chance to hear their favorite band live and at their peak, the wait is finally over. There's just no way you can not love this album. The song selection, the sound and the overall feel of this live recording are all outstanding. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore. Yes, I'll be playin' this new disc all summer long....."There's Just a Little Bit of Magic in the Country".

The West Coast country-rock band Poco was known early on for their live shows. Their third album, a live set titled Deliverin', was recorded in late-1970 and cracked the Top 30 - something their two previous albums had failed to do. Epic set up a private showcase in Columbia's Hollywood studio, having the band play in an intimate setting for an audience of label employees. With the group's latest studio album, From the Inside, having just hit the streets, this set was a rally for the employees, a warm-up for supporting gigs, and an opportunity to lock down the set and solidify the latest band line-up. By this point, Jim Messina had been replaced by guitarist/singer Paul Cotton, joining another recent addition, Timothy B. Schmit, and founding members Richie Furay and Rusty Young.

Unlike the new material debuted on Deliverin', this hour-long set cherry-picked material from all four of the band's previous albums, with half drawn from their latest studio release. The medley of "Hard Luck," "Child's Claim to Fame," and "Pickin' Up the Pieces" had appeared on their previous live outing, and remains notable for the inclusion of Furray's Buffalo Springfield-era "Child's Claim to Fame." The live arrangements were generally kept concise and tight, though they allowed themselves to jam a bit on "Hurry Up," and the single "C'mon" is stretched to five minutes with a breakdown and guitar solo. They also slow down mid-set for a pair of acoustic tunes, "You Are the One" and "Bad Weather."

Cotton's role as lead guitarist and singer gave this line-up an edgier sound than the founding quintet. Young's pedal steel is still prominently featured on songs like "Ol' Forgiver" and "Bad Weather," and the band sings fine country-rock harmonies, but the electric guitars cut a bit deeper, and there are some progressive elements in the melodies and vocal arrangements - particularly in the newer material. Furay would leave the band a couple of years later, making this the only officially released document of this line-up's live prowess. Collectors' Choice digipack includes a four-panel booklet with detailed (but unsigned) liner notes; this is one of four previously unreleased live albums the label is releasing concurrently. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

I'm old enough to experience the British invasion of the mid 60's and still love so many of the groups from The Beatles, The Kinks, Stones, The Who, and The Animals, to name just a few. Also, during that time I got into America's best with the Doors, CCR and The Buffalo Springfied, etc. In 1969 I read an incredible album review about a group called POCO with ex Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina. It was called Pickin' Up The Pieces. After the first listen, I was hooked. Almost like when I heard Sgt. Pepper for the first time and you're reaction is...WOW! WHAT DID I JUST HEAR? So, each album after that was a blessing from the Music God. Live at Columbia Studios is country rock at its finest with some of the best musicians and singers ever assembled. Messina had left, but, was recently replaced by Paul Cotton who was a very welcome addition and proved his greatness throughout the years that followed. He has written some the best songs by any group over his period with Poco and to this day sound as relevant and important as ever. Just listen to BAD WEATHER. As they say, it doesn't get much better than this. And, he goes unnoticed as a suberb guitarist. Richie Furay is still THE MAN. Again, excellent lyrics and one of the best voices in rock history and unmatched energy in each song. I could go on and on. Live at Columbia Studios is a guarenteed musical experience that shows why POCO has such a loyal fan base throughout the country. To Poconuts everywhere..rejoice!!

If I hadn't read a great review by an other Poco fan who knew enough to convince me that this was worth buying, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to re-experience the Poco that I loved in college, and bought LP after LP after LP until the band member changed so much that I couldn't recognize anyone from the original band except for Rusty Young. Then there were albums and CD's of compiled "old" Poco, some of which I bought (for example: The Last Roundup, Keeping the Legend Alive, or The Very Best of Poco). Nothing wrong with any of these, yet they were all tracks that I've heard before many times. It is nice to have them now that all of my LP collection and LP stereo components are no longer in existence (as you get old, material goods have to eventually go).
BUT: with this CD, "POCO, Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood" It all came back and when I heard it, it was like the first times I experienced their music. This was made just after their fourth LP (From the Inside) had been released in 1971. The initial members of the band (Furay, Messina, Grantham, Young and short-timer Meisner)had transformed into Ritchie Furay, George Grantham, Rusty Young and new members Timothy B. Schmidt and Paul Cotton. This quintet performs a live set, recorded at Columbia Studios on this CD, as sort of a rehearsal prior to a series of major concerts with the new cast.
When I listened to this, of course I knew the songs, but they weren't the studio recordings I had listened to for decades. These were sharp, crisp, pure country-rock BEFORE there ever was country rock. This is the real thing and goes right back to the seminal days of Poco during the final LP of the Buffalo Springfield. Eagles, eat your hearts out! Poco never attained the national celebrity status or ratings that they deserved, they were the innovators, the beginning of a new sound: country-rock. From their seed grew the Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Loggins & Messina, CSN&Y, The Souther-Hillman-Furray Band, and many others.
I never found the talent, enthusiasm, happiness, that this CD captures anywhere. This is a piece of history caught live. Hear them again: new - I recommend this to Poconuts as well as music lovers who haven't become fans of this country-rock legend. Enjoy - - -

For old time Poco fans, Live at Columbia Studios is a bit like manna from heaven. Richie Furay, Rusty Young, Tim Schmit, George Grantham and Paul Cotton, arguably the band's strongest lineup (no disrespect to Jim Messina), captured in their prime in 1971. Doesn't get much better than that. And, really, what were the odds that this recording would ever see the light of day some 40 years down the road? Almost zero. To whomever was responsible for this release: thank you and, please, keep looking for more.

Live catches the band still working through the transition from Jim Messina's country-rock guitar stylings to Paul Cotton's chunkier, fuzz-toned sound. The Cotton influence is particularly evident on rockers such as "Railroad Days" and on expanded versions of "A Man Like Me" and "C'mon," which appeared on DeLIVErin', released earlier in 1971. The performance also introduces six tunes from Poco's new album, From the Inside. Following on the heels of the dynamic Poco and DeLIVErin' albums, From the Inside was panned by many critics (and some fans) as a step backward for the band. But, on Live at Columbia Studios, a number of these tunes, particularly "Bad Weather," "Just for Me and You," and the aforementioned "Railroad Days" fit well with the band's established tunes, displaying Poco's signature strengths - rich vocal harmonies, and crack acoustic and electric guitar work, embellished with tasty steel and dobro fills from Rusty Young, master of all instruments stringed. The CD also offers solid versions of "Hurry Up" and "What a Day", both staples of Poco's early live shows and each omitted from DeLIVErin'. Another highlight is the "Hard Luck/Child's Claim/Pickin' Up the Pieces" medley that is similar to the version on DeLIVErin', but is enhanced by the live-in-the-studio setting. And while Cotton and Tim Schmit take advantage of the lead vocal opportunities afforded them during the show, make no mistake, this remains Richie Furay's band. Not only are 10 of the 14 songs penned by Richie, alone or with others, but the enthusiasm that would wane by 1973 after the Good Feelin' to Know and Crazy Eyes albums failed to put the band over the top, was still in evidence here.

Although some reviewers have expressed disappointment with the sound quality on Live at Columbia Studios, compare it to DeLIVErin' and you should be favorably impressed. There may be a flat or shrill note here or there, and the pacing of the performance feels a bit rushed in spots (perhaps due to the fact that the session was a run-through of the basic set list for upcoming concerts at the Santa Monica Auditorium), but there is a depth and clarity to the sound missing from DeLIVErin'. More importantly, for a band that was known for its energetic concert performances, Live at Columbia Studios fills in a missing piece of the historic record, as it is the only official live release which features Richie and Paul together during their heyday. While the overall song selection may not quite match up (no "You Better Think Twice" or medley from the first album), Live at Columbia Studios is no mere repetition of DeLIVErin'. There is enough diversity in the song selection and in the band's delivery to make it worth owning both releases.

Despite its few shortcomings, the improbability of live Poco music from 1971 surfacing in 2010 and the overall lack of quality concert releases from the band's most dynamic period make Live at Columbia Studios a 5-star must for fans whose interest in the band stretches back to the Richie Furay era. For everyone else, whether those who jumped on board later during the "Crazy Love" days or casual listeners interested in the band's contributions to the development of American country-rock music, this release may not quite rate 5 stars, but check it out anyway. You shouldn't be disappointed.

I've listened to this cd a several times now.
It's always good to hear this type of recording of
archival tapes unearthed for the fans listening pleasure.
As far as I know, it's the only live document of this version
of Poco with Richie and Paul, recorded soon after Paul
joined the band.
The tunes are played with the usual Poco
enthisiasm and spirit. Poco could always give me a lift;
could always get my toes to tapping.
I need to listen to Poco more often. I don't know why they
didn't make it as big as the Eagles - they were certainly as, if
not more, talented. I prefer Poco's vocal harmonies to just about anybody else, even to CSN.
Maybe it was their record company. Maybe
it was their countrified steel/slide guitar sound - why they didn't
score big on the charts.
And Poco had the best singing
drummer, EVER, in George Grantham - as important to their vocal
harmonies as Tony Hicks was to the Hollies gorgeous blend.
I appreciate this label releasing this most welcome music.
I detected a couple spots of distortion here and there in the recording, but nothing to detract from this being a 5 star recording of a great
band in a live setting.

Another hidden treasure for Poco fans revealed here, one that marks an historic turn in the band's evolution. With the addition of rock guitarist Paul Cotton -- whose fuzzy-treble power-chording replaced the countrier, more sinewy lines of departing Jim Messina -- Poco was inching toward a larger and more mainstream rock audience. Another reviewer here complains about the sound quality, but I think it's great -- even an improvement, in a sense, over that of "Deliverin'." Why? First because Cotton's rock sensibilities drew out similar energy from the other players. And second, the music here is louder, more muscular and more immediate than on "Deliverin'," which I've always felt suffered from the cavernous sound of its concert-hall recording; here, the music bounces back energetically in the "live studio" environment. This is by far the fieriest, most cracklin' live music Poco has ever released, which is saying something for a band that traded on its live performances. Thanks to Collectors Choice for bringing out the goods here at a modest price -- an hour's worth of music in all.

This is the second official, IMHO, Poco line up and was the one I saw live a few months before Richie Furay left the band. This is not "Deliverin'", nevertheless, and with the problems exposed in the other reviews, it is still a good addition to any collection even if you are not a Poco enthusiast and just a fan. After Furay left the band it seems that acoustic sets were shorter and there's the pity. But, Rusty Young still makes the pedal steel sound like an organ. The harmonies are still pretty tight...tighter than CSN/CSN&Y. And Grantham is incredible. Not enough country for country and not enough rock and roll for rock and roll. Poco's legacy, I guess, and it's too bad.

This album is especially important as a historical document in Poco's timeline. It was their first live performace after Jim Messina quit and Paul Cotton (recommended by Messina) replaced him. It's the only live album to feature both Richie Furay and Cotton. This was a warm-up show for Columbia Records insiders just a few days before a real tour kicked off.

The album has some problems. Why and by whom it was recorded is not addressed in the liner notes. But it sounds like a soundboard recording. A good one, mind you, but the mix is tough to figure out. Voices and instruments seem to go in and out at odd times, as if the engineer didn't know the songs. And flawed recordings from old analog tapes probably shouldn't be cleaned up quite this much.

The performance begins very raggedly. Paul Cotton in particular plays very tentatively at first, and his singing is shaky and lacks confidence. His work on the first couple of songs is downright clumsy in places. There are also missed notes (some of them flat) in Poco's famous vocal harmonies, a rarity for such a great singing band. But as the show progresses, you can hear the band tighten up. By the end, the band is playing pretty well. Vocal notes are accurate and Cotton plays a nice solo on "C'mon" as the show wraps up. Holding it all together is the still criminally underappreciated Richie Furay.

Most of the songs played fall into two categories --- songs Poco was already playing with Messina (and that are available on "DeLIVErin'"), and new songs from their just-finished album "From the Inside". But there are two other songs that stand out. "Hurry Up", which kicked off their second album, and is my favorite Poco song, is very welcome, even if done with a harder edge than the studio version. And "What a Day", a Buffalo Springfield leftover that was on "Pickin' Up the Pieces", was a song they didn't play live much, so it's nice to have it here.

This isn't a bad album, but newcomers to Poco would do much better to get "DeLIVErin'" as an introduction to live Poco. "Columbia Studios" is probably just for Poco completists.

Recorded after the release of "From the Inside" and before Deliverin the only disappointment is that the song selection is fairly similar to the Deliverin ablum with a few important exceptions/additions. However there is much more intimate, warm, and personal mix. The sound is terrific and the vocals exquisite. Although the excitement of the band in a full bore rock out mode as epitomized by their Good Feeling "finales is only approximated here, this is nonetheless the best of their Live albums. This album's version of "Bad Weather" is definitive. For a fan that has followed them from the beginning, this is as close as we have to an archive of the band at its live peak. If a similar recording session had captured the band a year or so later it might have been perfect.